Assault Charges Against Hartford Man Dismissed

HARTFORD — Assault and gun charges filed against Anthony Coleman of Hartford were dismissed Tuesday after the state dropped its prosecution of him for a Newfield Avenue shooting.

Coleman, 21, faced first-degree assault and other charges for the shooting and was held on $750,000 bail for several weeks.

His public defender, Corrie-Ann Mainville, raised questions about the evidence against Coleman immediately after his arrest. She argued that a GPS monitor Coleman had on his ankle for another offense showed he was not near Newfield Avenue at the time of the March 18 shooting.

Cellphone records showed the same thing, she argued.

Police continued their investigation and prosecutor David Zagaja examined the evidence. On Tuesday, Zagaja told Judge Joan K. Alexander he would nolle, or decline to prosecute, the case.

Mainville asked the judge to dismiss the charges, and she did. The arrest has been purged from Coleman's record.